Category Archives: Events

It’s that time of year again! The temperatures are in the mid-80s and the smell of fried food is in the air at the State Fair of Texas. Now that the TX/OU crowds have left Dallas, it’s the perfect time to hit the fair grounds (last day is October 23). Below are some tips and tricks to help you fully enjoy your State Fair experience!

Food Glorious Food

2011 Best Taste Winner – Buffalo Chicken in a Flapjack. This delicious dish contains a boneless spicy buffalo chicken tender wrapped in a pancake, deep fried & served with a side of syrup. It might sound weird, but it is the perfect blend of salty, spicy & sweet.

2011 Most Creative Winner – Fried Bubble Gum. We didn’t get a chance to try this one, but what we can recommend to you is the Fried Nutter Butter (see photo above). Rich, delicious & covered in powdered sugar, its everything a State Fair dessert should be.

Must Have – Everyone who attends the fair must have at least one (we had more) Fletcher’s Corny Dog. They are crispy, delicious & worth waiting in line for.

Non-Fried Option – If you’re looking for something a little less battered & deep fried, try the Cuban Sandwich at the Taste of Cuba booth. You won’t be disappointed!

All the food & drinks can be purchased with coupons, but you need to buy a separate game pass for all the games in the Midway. So don’t buy a ton of coupons thinking you can use them on everything!

The best bathrooms are in the Coca-Cola Food Court (just past Big Tex under the Texas SkyWay). Air conditioned & clean!

Best day to go is Tuesday – admission is $4 with a Dr Pepper can, most rides are reduced to 5 coupons & the lines aren’t too bad.

Parking is a whopping $15. Be careful of the lots that don’t say “Official State Fair Parking” – there have been reports of people charging fair-goers to park in unofficial areas, and their cars have been towed.

Deals & Discounts

Kroger Advance Tickets: $14.95 – general admission. $29.95 – season pass. Purchase at the check-out counter or at the service desk. The DART Combo ticket is $17 and includes fair admission and a one-time round trip on DART.

Dr Pepper $5 after 5: Any day after 5 p.m. Bring an empty Dr Pepper can and enter for $5 after 5 p.m.

Dr Pepper $4 Tuesdays: Bring an empty Dr Pepper can and enter for $4 every Tuesday. Most rides (excluding the Thrillway and the Texas Star Ferris Wheel) are 5 coupons.

Gramercy Residents are invited to attend the FREE fall concert at Austin Ranch featuring the 80’s cover band – THE SPAZMATICS!!

The concert is this Thursday, 9/29, from 7-9pm on the Village Green at Austin Ranch. The Village Green is the big green park located on Saintsbury in front of the Dry Creek Lodge leasing office.

There will be an 80s costume contest as well as food & drink booths provided by local vendors. All you need to bring is your lawnchair, blanket, beverage of choice & best 80s costume. Dogs are welcome to join too, as long as they are on a leash!

Who wants a FREE SANDWICH?? The first 20 residents to come to the Smiling Moose Deli this Friday, 9/23, and show their Gramercy Resident Key Tag Pass will get a free regular size sandwich.

The Smiling Moose Deli was started in Vail, CO and has been rapidly expanding in the Central United States thanks to their delicious menu of sandwiches, soups, salads and wraps. This is their first location in the Lone Star State so let’s give them a big Texas welcome!

Bring your appetite and your access card this Friday to 3216 Hebron Parkway. See you there!

The weather forecast predicts the 100 degree heat to continue through Monday, so being close to water is a must this labor day weekend. You can always keep cool at our refreshing West End Pool, but if you want to venture outdoors, here are a few things to do around Dallas:

Hit the Lake – Did you know Dallas has 63 lakes within a 100-mile radius? That’s a lot of water! You can keep cool in any one of them, including Lake Lewisville, which is just 10 miles from Gramercy on the Park. Rent a boat or jet ski at the marina or if you’re more of a landman, sit on the shore & play a game of sand volleyball at Sneaky Pete’s Bar & Grill. There is also a Fireworks show over Lake Grapevine this Friday night, just a 20 minute drive from Austin Ranch.

Hit the Malls – Beat the heat & shop in the air conditioning. According to Wikipedia, Dallas has more shopping centers per capita than any other city in the U.S. Lucky for you, some of the best shopping is right down the street from Gramercy – Stonebriar Centre, Willow Bend Mall and The Galleria are all within a few short miles of our community.

Hit a Concert – Whether you want a big concert or small, intimate show, there is a music venue to fit every taste in Dallas. Labor Day concerts include – Kid Rock & Cheryl Crow at Gexa Pavilion, Better Than Ezra at the House of Blues, Drive By Truckers at the Granada Theatre, Marvin Hamlisch at the Dallas Symphony, Asleep at the Wheel at the Dallas Arboretum (includes an outdoor picnic)….and the list goes on and on. Catch more details at Guidelive.com.

Hit the Spot – KRLD Restaurant Week is still in full swing, with select restaurants extending reservations through September 4th. $35 gets you a gourmet prix-fixe dinner at some of Dallas’ top restaurants and $7 of each dinner sold will go to the North Texas Food Bank. Be sure to book in advance at Open Table to secure a spot! If you can’t book a table, try one of the on-site restaurants at our sister property, Austin Ranch! They have plenty of great food & drink specials at Cafe Gecko, Zen Bar, McSwiggan’s Irish Pub, Centro Tex Mex and Lone Star Coffee Bar.

You can’t think of the 4th of July without thinking pools, barbecues and fireworks! We’ll keep the pools cold and the grills hot at Gramercy on the Park, but there are several other fun events happening in the area. Here are the top 5 4th of July celebrations in Dallas!

KaboomTown

Sunday, July 3rd, 5pm-Midnight
The annual fireworks display in Addison, Tx gets bigger & better every year. Rated one of the top places to watch fireworks in the country by USA Today, Travel + Leisure and The Wall Street Journal, the fireworks show can be seen from anywhere in Addison, including the Addison Circle Park watching party. The dazzling 30-minute fireworks show is choreographed to music and a live radio simulcast on 100.3 JACK FM. Plus there is great food, live music on the Dos Equis Stage and the spectacular Addison Airport Air Show featuring the Cavanaugh Flight Museum Warbird Flyover.

Bring your family, friends, lawn chairs and blankets and enjoy a spectacular fireworks show from the Oak Point Park & Nature Preserve. Tune into 97.5 KLAK radio for a simulcast of the fireworks show which will be synchronized to patriotic music.

The parade will begin at 9 a.m. on Euclid Avenue near Highland Park Town Hall and will travel up Preston Road and east on University Boulevard to Goar Park, adjacent to University Park City Hall. Before the parade, you can take part in the 5k Fun Run through the beautiful streets of University Park at 7:30am. Following the parade, make sure you take time to visit the many free activities in the park.

Southlake does everything big & their 4th of July celebration is no exception. Join them in the Southlake Town Square for live entertainment, activity booths, an interactive gaming area and an amazing fireworks display that starts at 9:30pm. Bring your own blankets & chairs or walk around and enjoy 4 live bands, kid and adult craft stations and a playground area with inflatable attractions for the kids.

The Lakewood Parade is a slice of Americana in the middle of the bustling city. If you’re looking for a small, neighborhood parade with homemade floats & kids selling lemonade, then you’ll want to visit Lakewood for the 4th. Refreshments, music & awards for best float, best costume, etc will be given out following the parade. For those of you who need to let off some steam, there’s a Fun Run prior to the parade that starts at 8 a.m. at the intersection of Lakewood Blvd & Cambria.

As residents of Gramercy on the Park, you are invited to attend the FREE Spring Concert at our sister property – Austin Ranch. We are very excited to announce the entertainment is nationally-renowned country music star, Tracy Lawrence!

So grab a blanket, your beverage of choice and your buddies and come over to the Village Green on Thursday, May 5 from 7:00-9:00pm. (The Village Green is the large grassy area located in front of the Dry Creek Lodge Leasing Center at 6900 Sumner Street).

You can also catch the show from the patios at Zen, Centro & Gecko. The concert starts at 7pm sharp, so get there early, bring a chair or blanket and enjoy the show!